Funky Pumpkins

The last post was a "BeFunky" photo....this post is just funky. I came across these funky bumpy pumpkins at Wilson Farm here in Lexington. They are are actually a little bit creepy.

BeFunky Halloween

In addition to the letter shapes on the BeFunky photo site....there are also seasonal shapes...so I course I had to play a little.

I made a simple pattern in Pages....

...then I imported it into the program and picked the "BOO!" overlay.  The scale of the background is a bit large...but this was just an experiment so I'm going with it.

I changed the background to an opaque black and took a screen shot to import to the blog.  The finished screen shot can be put back into a document to add borders and be sized however you want to make a card...or you can post it on Facebook.  

Naturally Curly

Well...not really naturally...but I thought it made for a good title.

Here's a little preview of another Folly Christmas.  The rest of this Christmas story is coming soon.

Autumn

I just discovered that the "BeFunky" photo program on my computer can make photo letters....so I played around a little this afternoon.  This is also the app I use to make most of my computer generated collages.

I imported a photo....chose the alphabet overlay option on the left...then fiddled a bit with the shadow feature and background color.  Next I took a screen shot of each letter and imported them into a pages program and gave them a background. It sounds complicated...but it's really pretty simple. The app does all the work....lots of possibilities!  

The Gift...

...that keeps on giving.

Remember when I wrote about Liz's awesome Christmas gift?  It was an experiment we did on Paul's side of the family...exchanging names with the goal of giving gifts that helped us get to know each other better.

Each month since Christmas I have been opening an envelope and leaning new things about my sister-in-law Liz...feeling more and more connected to her.  In September she shared some of her favorite things...and that was on the heels of her least favorite things in August.

In October I learned about "Fun and Games" from her childhood and what she enjoys doing now in her spare time.  She shared her favorite music and favorite childhood memories as well as life experiences and milestones that she treasures.

I have a couple of cards left....and I look forward to seeing what else I learn.

Thanks Liz!  This has truly been a gift that keeps on giving!

A Splash of Color...

...on a morning walk in Lexington.

Playing With Strips

I enjoyed playing around with the digital strips inspired by "Papered Thoughts" from the last post....but I wanted to try it with paper to give it more texture.

The velum didn't work like I wanted it to...so I experimented with card stock. This afternoon I made a little note card and envelope using strips in shades of blue. I glued the strips down...but also stitched across the top.

I had lots of strips that I had precut for mobiles...but I thought they were too straight and even. I sheared a little off the edges to make them different widths and lengths.

"Papered Thoughts"

I came across this collection of Rin Dawson's mail art on Tumblr. I love her colorful and simple designs called "Papered Thoughts." On her Instagram homepage she says "the world needs more love, kindness, confetti...and good vibes."

Rin's colored strips reminded me of the mobiles I make out of velum that I shared a little while ago. Ever since I saw her work I wanted to play around with it a bit. At first I tried to sew the strips onto paper...but they curled and it just wasn't working like I wanted.  Then I switched to making the strips digitally using my Pages program. I ended up with a few note cards and some stationary.





I loosely following the color scheme of Bill's hat. I tend to go with the typical rainbow scheme when using lots of colors...so I need to be deliberate about doing something else.  Thanks Bill!

Then just print, fold, and it's ready for your note.

Transition

Words and Pictures

October is a transition month. My friend Linda recently said "every day is a surprise." One day can be warm and beautiful...the next blustery, cold and rainy. Creative energy is spent putting gardens to bed, dumping plant pots and other fall clean-up.

We had our first frost a week or so ago...many of the plants in the garden have died back...but this lovely mum is just getting going. It helps with the transition.

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

The Perfect Gift

This is one of my favorite stories...the story of the perfect birthday gift.  I bought this print of the canning jars at a Pier One Imports store years and years ago for around $25 all framed...and I love it!  I love the loose watercolor...and the soft, but bright colors.  It has moved from home to home...and I when I looked at new houses I literally would think as I walked through the kitchens...where will the canning jars go?


I also have a dear friend Patsy who is an avid canner...and she often commented on my picture when she visited.  She loved it too.

So I decided that I needed to find her one.  Over the course of a year or so I looked every time I went to Pier One...and anywhere else they sold prints and posters. Eventually it dawned on me that I was able to make out the name of the artist on the print...and I tried to find her on line.  Lo and behold I found a picture of the print and it linked to a site that said "contact the artist"....so I did.  

We had a great e-mail conversation but unfortunately she had sold the rights to the painting...but she was willing to paint me an original and I could give my print to Patsy.  I was interested...but I was quite happy with my print and I couldn't really afford an original.  Then I had a great idea! I called Brian, Patsy's husband, and I told him I had the perfect birthday gift for his wife.  If he would pay for it...I would do all the work and we would give it to her together.  He was in....he knew it was the perfect gift.

So here it is....the perfect gift for my friend who has been known to fill her china cupboards with her beautiful canning. It hangs in her house in Maine and is titled "Sealed With a Kiss."

But the story doesn't end there.  While vacationing in Hawaii Patsy was struck by a nautical fish painting in their hotel room....she thought it looked like it was done by the same artist as the jars....but she had forgotten her name. Brian thought she was crazy but she wrote down the name and sure enough it was the same artist. Like I said....the perfect gift!

I tried to retrace that search I did years ago to link to and give credit to the artist but had no luck.  All I know is her first or last name is Taylor. I'll have to work on that....maybe Patsy knows.

Patsy did know...and here's the link to the post about the answer.

Spreading Joy

My friend Becky shared a video on her Facebook page that made my day.  Despite the fact that a little boy named Jayden had experienced much sadness after losing his mom....he decided that he wanted to spread a little JOY. His mission was to make people smile by giving them something as simple as a rubber ducky or a little dinosaur. Click here to hear his story.  It's worth the couple of minutes!

This story doesn't even compare....but the point was the same....to get a smile with simple little toys and things.  Several years ago I helped my niece Clarke find 50 silly little things around my house to give her mom for her 50th birthday. It was fun for us....and I think it was fun for her mom. 

Spread a little joy today!

A Splash of Color

While we were at Lake Logan I was quite taken with our friend Bill's Guatemalan hat...it just made me happy.

I love the pattern and the color scheme. Today I played around a little in my Pages program and recreated the pattern.  You will probably see it again sometime.

Do the colors look familiar? 

A Beautiful Place

Lake Logan is nestled in a valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains...it was a beautiful place to gather with friends.  In no way do these pictures capture its magic.

Back Home...

...from Lake Logan.

More images from this beautiful place to come.....

Retreat

I am leaving my laptop behind and putting the blog aside for a few days....to retreat with good friends.

For years my husband has been retreating to the woods or the mountains with his seminary buddies....most recently at Pingree Park Colorado.

Well...the guys recently decided it was time to include the women in their lives on one of their retreats...and we all know each other from those seminary days so long ago.  So tomorrow we are heading out for a long weekend at the Lake Logan Episcopal Center in Canton, North Carolina to retreat, engage, and renew.

Photo take from the homepage of their website found here.

Picture Perfect!

It was a beautiful day around town today!  A picture perfect fall day!

Sunny Side Up

I just came across these photos of a set of sun quilt squares I made a while back. My sister Marilyn and I have done several creative exchanges/challenges and this was a fun one.  Our task was to make a set of four 5 inch suns for each other and some to keep. This is the set I sent Marilyn...and this is my favorite.

I added a touch of embellishment on each square using beads and floss. I think the black and white fabric makes them kind of modern and whimsical. 

These are actually set in circles using an interesting technique....no raw edges.

These are my sister's squares she made for me....I think they are fun and funky....and kind of earthy.

This is my favorite.  I had them stored with some fabric I picked out and plan to make some sort of a little wall quilt. 

These are the squares I made and kept and they are still works in progress. I experimented with different colors so they are kind of a mismatched hodgepodge. They sit in my box of "works in progress." Maybe one day I will be able to share a sunny finished project.

This covered button is just set on top....I haven't done a center on this one.